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The Ora has been a hard sell for Chinese carmaker GWM since it brought the model Down Under last year.

Consistently outsold by the competition, the Ora has been subjected to heavy price cuts – but its fortunes on the sales charts haven’t improved.

GWM sold just 592 examples of the small electric hatch in the first half of this year, while BYD recorded 1249 Dolphin sales and MG soared with 2771 MG4 sales.

Can that discrepancy be explained by differing levels of specification, or is there something else at play?

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Let’s find out by pitting the flagship Ora GT against the mid-spec MG 4 Excite 64.

Both cars are priced just shy of $50,000, and come with similar powertrain offerings. They’re about the same size too.

However, under the surface there’s plenty to distinguish the pair.

Pricing

The flagship Ora GT best compares to the mid-spec MG 4 Excite 64, with both priced around the same mark.

The Ora range kicks off with the Standard Range, priced at $35,990 drive-away, while the cheapest MG 4 comes in at $37,990 before on-roads costs.

There’s a lot more room to spend up with MG, all the way to the $55,990 plus on-roads MG4 XPower.

Model Variant Price
2024 GWM Ora GT $46,990 drive-away
2024 MG MG4 Excite 64 150kW $44,990 before on-road costs

Interested in a GWM Ora or a MG4? CarExpert’s specialists can help you find a deal.

Drivetrains and efficiency

GWM may adorn its top-spec hatch with GT badging but it’s not a performance car.

With 126kW and 250Nm the Ora GT is less powerful than the MG 4, although it weighs in nearly 70kg lighter.

Not only does the MG 4 pack a bigger punch, it’s also more efficient and has 50km of extra driving range.

Dynamically, the two cars offer different driving experiences with contrasting front- and rear-wheel drive layouts.

Specifications GWM Ora GT MG 4 Excite 64
Drivetrain Single-motor electric Single-motor electric
Battery 63kWh nickel manganese cobalt 64kWh lithium-ion
Power 126kW 150kW
Torque 250Nm 250Nm
Driven wheels Front-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive
Power consumption (claimed) 16.8kWh/100km 13kWh/100km
Claimed range 400kW 450km
Max AC charge rate 11kW 6.6kW
Max DC charge rate 80kW 140kw

Interested in a GWM Ora or a MG4? CarExpert’s specialists can help you find a deal.

Dimensions

Proportionally, these cars are very similar.

The MG 4 is longer and taller, but the Ora GT is 12mm wider. It really is a case of splitting hairs though, and the two vehicles share a similar footprint on the road.

Boot space is the clearest differentiator – the MG has nearly 150L more cargo room than the GWM, a margin that grows once you fold the rear seats down.

On the flip side, the sporty Ora comes in 68kg lighter.

Dimensions GWM Ora GT MG 4 Excite 64
Length 4254mm 4287mm
Width 1848mm 1836mm
Height 1603mm 1504mm
Wheelbase 2650mm 2705mm
Ground clearance 145mm 147mm
Boot capacity 228L/858L 363L/1177L
Kerb weight 1580kg 1648kg
Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) 1970kg 2613kg

Interested in a GWM Ora or a MG4? CarExpert’s specialists can help you find a deal.

Servicing and warranty

GWM offers a cheap maintenance schedule, with servicing capped at $99 for the first five years.

It’s important to note that since the MG 4 has longer service intervals, only two services are required throughout the first five years of ownership.

Nevertheless, the MG is still significantly more expensive to maintain.

MG charges significantly more for each round of maintenance, with an average yearly outlay that more than doubles the Ora.

The Ora has a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and Ora buyers get an extra year of drive battery coverage… but MG counters with a 10-year, 250,000km warranty.

Running costs GWM Ora GT MG 4 Excite 64
Warranty 7 years, unlimited kilometres 10 years, 250,000km
High-voltage battery warranty 8 years, unlimited kilometres 7 years, unlimited kilometres
Service interval 12 months or 15,000km 24 months or 40,000km
1st service price $99 $296
2nd service price $99 $907
3rd service price $99 $296
4th service price $99 $907
5th service price $99 $296
Total first 5 years $495 $1203
Avg. annual service price first 5 years $99 $240.60

Interested in a GWM Ora or a MG4? CarExpert’s specialists can help you find a deal.

Safety

GWM’s electric hatchback received a five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on Euro NCAP tests conducted in 2022.

All single-motor MG 4 models received a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2023 based on Euro NCAP testing.

Assessment GWM Ora GT MG4 Excite 64
Adult occupant protection 35.29 out of 38 (92 per cent) 31.64 out of 38 (83 per cent)
Child occupant protection 41.59 out of 49 (84 per cent) 42.35 out of 49 (86 per cent)
Vulnerable road user protection 40.02 out of 54 (74 per cent) 40.63 out of 54 (75 per cent)
Safety assist 14.94 out of 16 (93 per cent) 12.98 out of 16 (81 per cent)

Here’s a breakdown of the standard safety equipment on each car:

Safety feature GWM Ora GT MG4 Excite 64
Airbags 7 airbags 6 airbags
Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) Yes Yes
Lane-keep assist Yes Yes
Blind-spot monitoring Yes No
Adaptive cruise control Yes Yes
Traffic sign recognition Yes Yes
Reversing camera Yes Yes
Surround-view camera Yes No
Rear cross-traffic alert Yes No
Parking sensors Yes Yes
Park assist Yes No
Tyre pressure monitoring Yes Yes
Driver monitoring Yes Yes
External vehicle warning sound Yes Yes

Interested in a GWM Ora or a MG4? CarExpert’s specialists can help you find a deal.

Standard features

It’s especially true in the cheap electric car segment that the battle for sales supremacy can be won and lost on the spec sheet.

Exterior GWM Ora GT MG 4 Excite 64
Wheels 18-inch alloy wheels 17-inch alloy wheels
Spare wheel Tyre repair kit Tyre repair kit
Headlights Automatic LED headlights Automatic LED headlights
Fog lights Front and rear fog lights Front and rear fog lights
Wipers Automatic wipers Manual wipers
Side mirrors Heated, power folding mirrors with memory Electric folding mirrors
Sunroof Panoramic sunroof No
Tailgate Hands-free powered tailgate Manual tailgate

The Ora has this category covered.

For roughly the same outlay you get bigger wheels, automatic wipers, a panoramic sunroof, and powered tailgate.

Conversely, the exterior of the MG 4 is no frills, with little in the way of surprise and delight.

Interior GWM Ora GT MG 4 Excite 64
Upholstery Two-tone leatherette upholstery Fabric upholstery
Front seats 6-way powered driver’s seat, heated, ventilated, massaging front seats Manually adjustable front seats
Rear seats Two-tone leatherette rear seats Fabric rear seats
Steering wheel Heated leatherette steering wheel Leatherette steering wheel
Gear selector E-shifter E-shifter
Paddle shifters No No
Rear-view mirror Auto-dimming rear-view mirror Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
Climate control Dual-zone climate control Single-zone climate control

The aforementioned theme carries into the interior, where the GWM packs some extra luxuries.

Powered leatherette seats with all the fruit and a heated steering wheel are unique to the Ora, as well as dual-zone climate control.

The MG 4 comes with fabric upholstery, manually adjustable seats, and single-zone climate control.

Technology GWM Ora GT MG 4 Excite 64
Instrument cluster 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster
Head-up display No No
Infotainment 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Satellite navigation No No
Smartphone mirroring Wireless smartphone mirroring Wired smartphone mirroring
Phone charging Wireless phone charger Wireless phone charger
USB 3 x USB-A 2 x USB-A, 1 x USB-C
Sound system 6-speaker sound system 4-speaker sound system
Key Proximity entry and keyless start Keyless entry and keyless start

You guessed it, another tick for the Ora.

Bigger instrument cluster? Tick. Wireless smartphone mirroring? Tick. Superior sound system? Tick.

With that said, some things can’t be easily measured. For example, this comparison doesn’t account for the usability of interior tech, which varies significantly between manufacturers.

Nevertheless, the GWM impresses on paper.

Do you think the Ora deserves better? Or, does the MG4 deserve its sales dominance?

Interested in a GWM Ora or a MG4? CarExpert’s specialists can help you find a deal.

MORE: Buy a GWM Ora
MORE: Everything GWM Ora

MORE: Buy a MG MG4
MORE: Everything MG MG4



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